Paul Northey, SWASFT Community Responder Officer for South & West Devon, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding which will enable us to further support the local community. The new equipment is a great investment for Plymouth people.
“Our amazing volunteers give their time freely to get trained and to help support the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) and our patients. This funding will help them to provide more enhanced care for those in need.
Thank you to NHS Charities Together and to The National Lottery Community Fund for their generous support.”
Gift of Lifting Chairs for Plymouth
The South Western Ambulance Service Charity is delighted to have been awarded 2 grants totalling approximately £12,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund's Awards for All programme and from the Devon Community Foundation.
The funding will enable the Plymouth Community First Responders (CFRs) to further enhance the patient care they deliver.
The funding has supported the purchase of two Raizer Lifting Chairs for CFRs to use to assist patients who have had falls, without severe injury, but are unable to get up. The clever pieces of kit can be built up around a patient, even if they are lying in an awkward position with restricted room to manoeuvre, then they are used to gently bring the patient up to a sitting or standing position.
The Plymouth CFR Group's kit has been further enhanced thanks to these grants, with medical equipment including automatic blood pressure monitors and thermometers. Additional equipment for the group was also funded through a grant from NHS Charities Together.
Nic Brown, led the fundraising efforts for the Plymouth CFR Group and explained more about how having access to a Raizer Chair helps Responders; "Many calls I get are to people who have fallen. These are not the highest category for the ambulance service so sometimes patients have been on the floor a while waiting for an ambulance. Long waits on the floor are not good for people and can potentially lead to serious complications. The chair enables me to gently lift a patient up, in most cases, although sometimes I need to consult a clinician first. It's actually rare that I am unable to lift someone. So the chair not only is a huge boost in patient care, it also saves an ambulance visit in many cases."
Help equip a Community First Responder Group with an Emergency Lifting Chair.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us on 0300 3690108 or email charity@swast.nhs.uk.